If you walked into the Emirates on that Sunday in late November, you could feel it. The North London Derby isn't just a football match; it’s a tribal ritual that usually involves a lot of shouting and a fair bit of local pride on the line. But nobody—honestly, not even the most optimistic Gooner—expected to see what happened when the match Arsenal vs Tottenham finally kicked off in the 2025-26 season.
We’re talking about a 4-1 demolition. A scoreline that looks like a typo if you weren’t watching the game.
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The headline wasn’t Bukayo Saka or even the usual suspects. It was Eberechi Eze. The summer signing basically decided this was his afternoon to become a legend. He bagged a hat-trick—the first in this fixture in nearly 50 years. You have to go back to Alan Sunderland in 1978 to find the last time someone took the match ball home from a North London Derby.
The Tactics That Broke Spurs
Tottenham came into this with Thomas Frank at the helm, and let's be real, he’s been trying to steady a ship that finished 17th last season. They set up with a back five, clearly hoping to frustrate Mikel Arteta’s high-flyers. For about 35 minutes, it actually worked. It was cagey. It was tight. Spurs were sitting deep, absorbing the pressure, and making life difficult.
Then the dam broke.
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Leandro Trossard got the opener in the 36th minute, and from there, the Spurs' defensive structure just evaporated. Mikel Merino, playing in a somewhat experimental central role, dinked a ball over the top that Trossard finished with the kind of clinical efficiency that's become his trademark.
But the real tactical story was how Arsenal used their "rotating interior." It sounds like something out of a physics textbook, but basically, it meant Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Zubimendi were constantly swapping spaces. Tottenham’s man-oriented marking couldn't handle it. Every time Micky van de Ven tried to track a run, he left a gap the size of a London bus behind him.
Why Eze Was Unstoppable
Eze’s first goal came just five minutes after Trossard’s. He squirmed between Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur like they weren't even there.
- The Second Goal: Just 35 seconds into the second half. Talk about a "game-over" moment.
- The Third Goal: A clinical finish in the 76th minute to seal the hat-trick.
- The Shot Stats: Arsenal finished with 17 shots to Tottenham’s three. Absolute dominance.
Honestly, it could have been five or six. Vicario had to make a few massive saves to keep the score from becoming truly embarrassing. Spurs were passive. They didn't win their duels. Thomas Frank admitted as much after the game, apologizing to the fans for a performance that lacked the "fight" required for a derby of this magnitude.
The Richarlison Wonder-Goal
There was one moment of genuine magic for the visitors. Richarlison, who has had a bit of a rollercoaster time at Spurs, spotted David Raya slightly off his line in the 55th minute.
He didn't think twice. From about 35 yards out—nearly the center circle—he lobbed the Spaniard.
It was statistically the furthest goal scored in the Premier League so far this season. For about ten minutes, there was a sense that maybe, just maybe, Tottenham could claw their way back. The away end found their voices. The Arsenal players looked a bit rattled for a second. But then Eze happened again, and that was that.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Rivalry
People often say "the form book goes out the window" for these games. It’s a cliché for a reason, right? But looking at the match Arsenal vs Tottenham stats from the last few years, that’s just not true anymore. Arsenal have now won six of their last seven against Spurs.
The gap isn't just about points; it’s about identity. Arteta has a squad where every player knows exactly where they need to be. Tottenham, meanwhile, are still very much in transition. They struggled with injuries to key players like James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski, and it showed. They lacked a creative spark in the final third, managing only four touches in the Arsenal box the entire game.
Looking Ahead: The Fallout
This result pushed Arsenal six points clear at the top of the table. For Spurs, it was a reality check that left them languishing in ninth.
If you're following the title race, the takeaway here is that Arsenal have found a way to win even without a traditional "number nine." With Viktor Gyokeres sidelined, Merino and Eze stepped up in ways no one predicted.
Actionable Insights for the Next Derby:
- Watch the Half-Spaces: Arsenal win these games by overloading the zones between the full-backs and center-backs. If Spurs don't fix their "man-to-man" defensive lapses, the same thing will happen in the return fixture.
- Set Piece Dominance: Declan Rice’s delivery remains the best in the league. Arsenal almost scored in the first three minutes from a corner.
- Injury Management: Keep an eye on Richarlison’s hamstring. He’s expected to be out for up to seven weeks after a subsequent injury in the FA Cup, which leaves Spurs even thinner up front for the coming months.
The North London Derby remains the most high-scoring fixture in Premier League history for a reason. It's chaotic, it's emotional, and sometimes, one player just decides to write their own script. This time, that script belonged to Eberechi Eze.
Check the official Premier League tables to see how this result impacts the race for the Champions League spots, as the points gap between 4th and 10th is currently tighter than it's been in a decade.